Long Way Down
by opalheart12
Summary: KlausxOC DamonxOC Aryn and Aryca Headey have just moved to Mystic Falls hoping to put their past behind them, but things don't always go as planned.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Do not own The Vampire Diaries.**_

"I can't believe you did it again! I told you, it's all about control! how are we ever supposed to stay in one place if you keep making us move?"

She was lecturing again. Aryn sighed and turned the radio up a little louder, wishing to drown out her older sister's voice. Her sister narrowed her eyes at this and turned the radio off all together. Aryn rolled her eyes and gave her sister a pleading look.

"Come on, Aryca! She deserved it! Chloe Martin is a bitch." Aryn replied, thinking this excuse would placate Aryca.

"Doesn't mean she deserved you shoving paper down her throat! She won't be able to talk for another week!" Aryca certainly played the role of stern guardian very well, even though she was just three years older than Aryn.

Aryn smirked a bit at this. "Okay, Aryca, to be fair, I didn't shove the paper down the throat. I simply levitated it into her mouth while she was sleeping in class! Someone had to wake her up."

But this did not have the effect Aryn hoped for. In fact, it only made her sister angrier. She sighed as they came to a red light and put a hand against her forehead. "I can't keep doing this, Aryn! I can't keep moving around to avoid people finding out about us! It isn't fair to me or anyone else really. Promise me you will make this work. Please."

The car lurched forward as the traffic light turned green. Aryn wondered why there even was a traffic light on this road when no one appeared to be driving on it but them. She closed her eyes, considering her sister's words, before opening them again. "Fine. I promise I will try to make things work here. And why did you pick here of all places? Mystic Falls? Seriously?"

The sky grew darker as they continued to drive. Aryn reclined the front seat and pulled the blanket up to her chest. She'd left it on the floor when they'd entered Tennessee, but the cold air in the car was starting to make her shiver. "It's where our mother was born, Aryn. I think she would want us to be here."

Aryn gave her sister a puzzled look and rolled her eyes. "We don't even have family here, Aryca. Mom has been dead for years and now you want to come back?"

Aryca didn't respond as they entered the town. It was 7pm now, and everyone was either at home or at the Mystic Grill. They drove a little further into a town before finally turning into a neighborhood and stopping in front of a house a few minutes later. The house was two stories with three bedrooms, thought Aryn couldn't imagine why they needed the two extra rooms. She and Aryca had slept in the same room for years in spaces smaller than this. There were two bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a finished basement. The house was beautiful, and nicer than anywhere they'd lived before. It was painted a dark beige color with a swing on the front porch. A balcony jutted out of a window facing the street. Aryn assumed it was the master bedroom.

"Who lives here?" she asked, still assessing the house.

Aryca smiled and said, "We do. The house went into foreclosure and I was able to get it for less than what it actually was worth. I'll be working at the Mystic Falls General Hospital here as an RN."

For the first time in years, Aryn actually felt hopeful. A weird, happy feeling formed in her chest, a feeling that told her she never wanted to leave this place. She actually smiled and, for once, it was genuine. She grasped her sister's hand tightly and said, "Thanks."

**************************LWD*************************

She was starting the third week of her senior year at Mystic Falls High School. The bell for first period had just rung when she entered the attendance office. A short, stout woman with faded red hair was sitting at the desk. She looked up and smiled. "You must be Aryn Headey. Well, I have your schedule right here for you. Your sister insisted we put you in all AP classes!"

Aryn's eyes widened considerably at this new development. She was going to have word with Aryca when she got home later that day. All AP classes? How on earth was she supposed to handle that workload? Resolving to just accept the challenge, she straightened and smiled at the woman before her, saying, "Really? Which ones?"

The woman looked down and gestured for Aryn to come closer and take a look at it. "You will have AP Bio, AP Environmental Sciences, AP United States History, AP English Literature, study hall, regular Calculus, and AP Latin. Is that alright with you?" Aryn had no choice but to nod in agreement as she took her schedule from the woman. She gritted her teeth as she stared down at the schedule, wanting to cry from imagining how hard it would be to have all these classes.

"I'm Mrs. Harmon and I'm the attendance secretary here. If you have any questions or need help with anything, just let me know. You might want to hurry to first period before they mark you absent though." Mrs. Harmon said cheerily. Aryn nodded and adjusted her bag on her shoulder before leaving the office and heading down the hallway. Her first class of the day was Study Hall with Mr. Abner.

She found her way to the classroom, happy that it only contained only six people besides herself. The teacher, Mr. Abner, had earbuds in his ear and looked very engrossed in a movie he was watching on the computer. The six students, three girls and three boys, gave her a cursory glance before whispering furiously with each other. Aryn rolled her eyes and gave her schedule to Mr. Abner. With a hint of annoyance, he removed his earbuds before saying, "Class, this is Aryn Headey. She's new here." And that was it.

Aryn snatched her schedule back before going to sit in the back of the classroom. She had no idea what she was supposed to do for the next forty five minutes as she didn't have any homework. She was just putting head down on the desk when someone sat in front of her: a blonde girl with bright blue eyes and a perky disposition that instantly made Aryn want to shoot herself.

"Hi, I'm Caroline Forbes. It's nice to meet you!" she said quickly, shoving her hand out. Aryn shook it loosely and gave her a quick smile, but Caroline was undeterred. "I know you're new here and all so I thought it would be cool if you came to my party Friday night after the football game. It's gonna be a Stefan Salvatore's house." Caroline slid a paper forward with the address written down on it.

Aryn looked down at it distastefully. She didn't want to go to anyone's party, especially someone she didn't even know. Suddenly, the paper began to curl at the edges, slowly balling itself up. Aryn immediately looked away, remembering the promise she'd made to her sister not to expose herself while they were here. The paper stayed the way she left it. The Caroline girl gave her an odd look, but it was fleeting. Just as soon as it appeared, it was gone.

"Well, I hope you come!" she said, before going back to her seat.

Aryn wasn't stupid. She knew that Caroline had seen what she'd done. She just prayed that Caroline would think it was the wind or something and wouldn't tell anyone about it. However, a gut feeling told her that wouldn't happen.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I hope you guys liked the first chapter. I've enjoyed writing it so far. Don't own VD.**

  
Aryn's next period was AP Lit and, wouldn't you know it, those six people from her study hall were in that class. Once again she sat in the back of the classroom after telling the teacher, Mr. Smith, who she was. This time, the group of six, including the blonde girl named Caroline, sat closer to her. Aryn took the time to look at the others in the group besides Caroline.

The other two girls were black and white, both with dark hair and brown eyes. The three guys were all tall, dark, and handsome, with the exception of one that was blonde with blue eyes like Caroline. It seemed, to Aryn at least, like they were trying to box her in because they took the seats around her.

Aryn Headey was nervous.

If she wasn't certain before, she knew without a doubt that Caroline had told them what she saw. She planted her face in her hands, sighing in disappointment. How was she going to tell Aryca that she'd been too stupid to hide her abilities on the first day of school? Just then, her cell phone buzzed in her pocket against her thigh. She took it out, hiding it under the desk before glancing down to see it was a message from Aryca herself.

**Aryca: Hope your first day is going well. I'm proud of you. If you need anything just call.**

Aryn tugged at her lip in silent thought. There was no way she could tell Aryca what happened today. It would kill her. The only solution was to pretend that nothing had ever happened this morning between her and Caroline. She had to pretend to be normal.

"Hey, Caroline!" Aryn said, catching the blonde's attention.

She gave her an odd look before responding, "Yeah?"

Aryn tossed her dark hair behind her shoulder the way she'd seen those prissy, popular bitches at her old school do it, and smiled the most convincing smile she could. "You said your party was Friday right? I think I might come."  
*********************************LWD************************************  
The rest of the week moved on with Aryn beginning to hang around Caroline's crowd. She'd learned that the other two girls were named Elena Gilbert and Bonnie Bennett. The two guys were Tyler Lockwood, Caroline's boyfriend, Matt Donovan, Elena's ex, and Stefan Salvatore, Elena's current boyfriend. They were nice enough but Aryn couldn't shake the feeling in her gut that told her everything wasn't what it seemed when it came to them.

Whenever she was around Stefan or Tyler respectively, she felt nauseous, like she would throw up or faint at any second. Whenever she was around Bonnie, she felt as if she were around a relative she hadn't seen in years, or an old friend she was only just catching up with. Needless to say, Aryn didn't really want to have much to do with them, but she had to for Aryca.

Ever since they'd moved to Mystic Falls, Aryca had seemed so much happier than she ever had been. Aryn chalked it up to them having a better situation than they'd ever had in life, that maybe the idea of a new beginning made Aryca happy.

Friday was there in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. Aryn found herself cheering at the stadium for the Mystic Falls High Marlins, even though she'd never watched football a day in her life. She drove afterward to Stefan's house where the party was already in full swing, even though the game had ended only twenty minutes ago.

She parked her car and walked inside, immediately irritated by the sheer amount of people in the room. It smelled of beer and teen spirit and she hated it. She was making a beeline for the door to the backyard when someone suddenly bumped into her. She spun around, glaring at the person.

"Watch it, asshole." she hissed. She suddenly realized the person was a guy. The guy was maybe four or five inches taller than she was with dark hair and ocean blue eyes. He looked vaguely familiar.

"Woah there, lady. Accidents happen." He raised his hands in surrender, smirking at her. Aryn rolled her eyes and made her way outside.

The cold air hit her like a slap in the face, yet she welcomed it. No one was outside but here, yet she could still hear the dull thumping of the music outside. She sat down on the steps, staring out into the woods. A dead flower tilted toward a great oak tree, its petals withered and brown. Tugging at her lip, Aryn lifted her finger up slowly, watching the flower slowly resurrect itself from its previously dead state. She let her other fingers rise and suddenly the flower was alive again. A small smile tugged at her lips.

Suddenly, tears stung her eyes and Aryn gasped in surprise and hurt. Flowers reminded her of her mother. She stared hard at the newly invigorated flower, thinking of all the times she'd seen her mother do exactly what she did, but with an entire bouquet. Aryn missed her dearly. To this day, she still could not understand why her and Aryca's mother had simply left them with no way to fend for themselves and no one to take them in. The nostalgic tears turned into tears of burning anger, regret, and confusion.

"You alright there, princess?" a voice asked.

Aryn spun around, wiping the tears from her face quickly. It was the guy she bumped into on her way outside. He didn't look as drunk as he previously had. Aryn began to suspect that he was just pretending to be drunk. Then it happened. A wave of nausea hit her like a freight train. She did her best to keep her composure but even the guy could see something what's wrong.

"Do you want some water? Want me to call anyone?" he asked.

This feeling was the same feeling Aryn got around Stefan and Tyler, the feeling that told her to run as fast as absolutely possible in the other direction. She pushed down the need to puke and sighed. "I'll be fine, thanks. What are you doing out here anyway?"

The guy shrugged. "Needed some air."

Aryn nodded and sat back down on the stairs. The guy sat down next to her. "I'm Damon Salvatore. I think you are Aryn headey. Would I be correct in that?"

So, he already knew who she was. That was the one thing Aryn hated about this town. Everyone knew everything about everyone every time it happened. "Yes, you are correct." she replied, wrapping her arms around herself as a breeze blew threw the yard.

For a while, they didn't say anything. They just sat there, staring and thinking and listening. Aryn suddenly felt something being draped on her. She looked down and saw that it was Damon's leather jacket. She felt warmer already and the need to throw up wasn't as strong.

"Thought you might need that. It is getting a little drafty out here." he said with a small smile.

Aryn was about to say thanks, when suddenly a blood curdling scream pierced the air. Aryn jumped up, running toward the forest, Damon hot on her trail. "Where do you think you're going? The woods aren't safe, Aryn." Damon said, grabbing her arm and yanking her back.

She pulled it back. "I can help, Damon. I can help." And with that, she ran deeper into the woods.****

A/N: Well, what do you guys think so far?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed last chapter. Now, onward.**

Aryn tore through the forest, Damon hot on her heels. She could feel power building up inside her, happiness at the thought that her powers might actually help someone this time rather than hurt them. Soon, the two were in the middle of a clearing and a girl was being pressed up against a tree by...a man. His mouth was on her neck and, in the pale moonlight, crimson spilled downward.

"Hey!" Aryn yelled. "Back off!"

The man took his mouth away, passing his hand over it, before laughing heartily. "And just why on Earth would I do that?" His voice was gravelly and British. The man himself was tall with dark curly hair and bright eyes that Aryn could see from the distance she kept. Once again, the overwhelming urge to barf hit her again, and once again, it had to be pushed aside.

"Klaus?" Damon said incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

Aryn spun toward Damon. "You know him?"

Damon rolled his eyes, his shoulders slumping visibly. "Unfortunately, yes, I do know him. All he's done is terrorize Mystic Falls for the last year."

The man, Klaus, laughed loudly, as if he was hearing the funniest joke ever told. "I assure you, Damon, I mean no harm now. I love it here! I want to stay."

Aryn looked back and forth at the two, wondering how they knew each other. Then it all clicked. "You all are vampires." That explained the intense nausea and the need to run as fast as she could. She walked forward a bit, in an effort to better see Klaus.

Damon looked at her, not surprised but intrigued. "How would you know that?"

She raised an eyebrow and pointed at Klaus. "Come on, really? What gave it away? Oh, it must have been this guy tearing into that girl's neck over there. How ever did I figure it all out?" Aryn shook her head as she walked over to the girl who was whimpering against the tree.

"What's your name, dear?" Aryn asked.

The girl swallowed in fear. "Emma. Emma Rodriguez."

Aryn placed her hand over the girl's neck, watching it heal instantly and the blood disappearing. She then touched both of her hands to Emma's temples before saying, "You will remember none of this. You will not remember who Klaus is, who I am, and who Damon is. You will not remember what Klaus is. You will tell your friends that you were drunk off of your ass and you got lost in the woods."

The girl, Emma, nodded blankly before pulling her dress down a bit and running back through the woods toward the Salvatore house. Aryn closed her eyes, sighing, before wiping her hands on her jeans. Hopefully the stain would come out.

Damon and Klaus eyed her warily. "Why did you that?" he asked. He didn't sound angry, just interested.

Aryn shrugged. "You guys don't seem so bad for vampires, besides the fact that I feel like I have to throw up every organ in my body right now."

Klaus narrowed his eyes at Aryn, a calculating look passing across his face. Damon noticed this and wagged a finger in front of his face. "Oh, no, Klaus. Whatever you're up to, don't think about it."

Aryn sighed and walked past them. Neither seemed to notice so she kept walking, back toward the Salvatore house. She could see the house before her when someone grabbed her arm. She spun around quickly, energy pulsing inside of her, only to see that it was Damon.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." he said. "You ready to leave?"

Aryn raised an eyebrow. "Where's Klaus?"

Damon ran a hand through his hair. "Stefan is not going to like this. Klaus is...will be staying with us for a bit. He doesn't really have anywhere else to go and-"

"I seem to recall you saying he terrorized the town. Why on earth would you let him live with you?" Aryn asked. Silence followed as Damon seemed to ponder the answer to this question. "You know, nevermind. It's not even my business anyway. I'm just gonna go. Here's your jacket back." She made to hand Damon his jacket put he put his hand up, stopping her.

"Keep it. I have tons more." And just like that he was gone.

*************************LWD*************************  
Aryn watched her sister as she flitted around the kitchen, finishing up their dinner for the night. It was the day after the party and Aryn had come home before Aryca did from work. She'd spent the entire day cleaning the house so her sister could cook dinner: pasta, garlic bread, and grilled chicken breast. Aryca was currently setting the table. Aryn sat down in a chair and, after five more minutes, her sister joined her.

"It's good that you've made friends, Aryn. I'm happy about that." Aryca said cheerfully. She was still wearing her scrubs from the hospital and had a tired look on her face. Aryn didn't want to tell her that those people weren't even really her friends. She was using them as a cover but after what happened last night with Damon and Klaus, that ship had sailed. She thought long and hard about the question she was about to ask her sister, hoping she would be able to give her an answer.

"Aryca, why did Mom leave? And where's our dad?"

For all of five minutes, a thick and heavy silence blanketed the table. Aryn stared at her sister who was frozen in shock, waiting for an answer. Accepting defeat, Aryn sighed and twirled her pasta around her fork before shoving it in her mouth. Aryca was messing with her hands now and running one through her hair every few minutes. Aryn couldn't take it anymore.

"Please, Aryca. I need to know."

Aryca nodded and leveled Aryn with a determined look.

"You know that our father was never around and that Mom left. Well, when you were two years old and I was five, Dad went missing. Mom searched everywhere for him, using her powers, but she couldn't. I thought she gave up but she didn't. I know you remember when you were twelve how she just left us, only saying goodbye through a note. The truth is that she was being...hunted. She told me that these people were hunting her...hunting us...for what we are. She thought that by leaving us alone the hunters would think we weren't a threat to them. So, she left, and tried to go find Dad. I don't know if she ever did, and I haven't had any contact with her since the day she left."

When Aryca had finally finished saying all this, Aryn had tears in her eyes. If anything, this explanation only seemed to anger her more. How could their mother possibly think that leaving them alone to fend for themselves at the ages of twelve and fifteen respectively was okay? And their father. She wished she could remember something about him...anything about him.

"We have to find Mom." Aryn found herself saying. "We deserve more than a fucking note and a bullshit excuse. We deserve more than the foster system and tiny bedrooms and having to move all the time and live in ratty places."

Aryca had tears in her eyes as she got up and walked over to Aryn who was now standing and leaning against the wall. "Aryn, I don't even know where she is or...or if she's even alive still."

Aryn pulled away from her. "We at least have to try and find out, don't we?"

***********************************LWD**************************************

The next day, Sunday, Aryn and Aryca went to the library to begin the search for their parents. Aryca went to peruse the county records while Aryn decided to use the computer. Aryca pushed a strand of thick curly hair away from her face as she searched through the Briarhill County record book, searching for things about her and Aryn's father. All she knew was that his name was Isaac Headey. She didn't know when he was born or if he had any family left. Finding nothing in the book she had, she turned around to grab the other county record book from the shelf when she ran into something, or rather someone, that had coffee in their hand.

Coffee exploded onto her red dress and her black cardigan. Luckily, it was tepid. "Oh, shit! I'm really sorry! I didn't see you there-"

"It's fine. It's my fault anyway. Shouldn't have brought it with me here." The voice was gravelly, low, and British. She looked up and saw a man taller than her by a few inches. He had dark, curly hair and bright eyes that hinted at mischief.

"No, really, it's all my fault. I'm always running into people and tripping over things. I'm really, really sorry." Aryca noticed the man's bemused expression and her apology faded. "What's so funny?"

The man laughed and Aryca found that it was indeed a beautiful laugh. "Nothing, really. It's just you're the one with coffee all over you and yet you are the one apologizing." Aryca smirked a bit and rolled her eyes. "Yes. Very funny. I'm Aryca by the way."

The man smiled a little wider and extended his hand, "Klaus." Aryca took it and smiled at him before looking down at her now obviously ruined dress.

"Well, I would stay longer but-"

"No, it's fine. I understand," he said still smirking. "But allow me to make it up to you. Perhaps dinner tonight at the Mystic Grill?" Klaus had a hopeful look in his eye.

Aryca stared at him for a few seconds, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You're asking me out."

"Yes, it appears that way."

"Fine. I'll meet you there tonight at 8."

"Aryca?"

The new voice interrupted the easiness of the conversation between Klaus and Aryca. Standing in the aisle was Aryn, who was glaring daggers at Klaus. Aryca, however, was oblivious to this. "Aryn! This is Klaus. He just spilled coffee all over me." She laughed and so did Klaus, but Aryn wasn't smiling. Her face hardened and she plastered a fake smile across her face, one that Klaus could see straight through, before saying, "Hi, Klaus! It's nice to meet you!" They showed no indication that they knew each other, but yet Aryca could still feel an odd tension between the two.

Aryn stared at Klaus for a little while longer before tugging at her arm. "Come on, Aryca. Let's go get you cleaned up." Then they were gone.

Klaus waited until they were out of his line of sight and hearing before he pressed a speed-dial on his phone and held it up to his phone.

"They're looking for you." Was all he said before hanging up and leaving.****

A/N: Hope you guys liked it.


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